Eungella
| Eungella National Park | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN Category II (National Park)
|
|
 |
|
| Nearest town/city | Mackay |
| Coordinates | 20°51′41″S 148°39′52″E / 20.86139°S 148.66444°ECoordinates: 20°51′41″S 148°39′52″E / 20.86139°S 148.66444°E |
| Area | 517 km2 (200 sq mi) |
| Established | 1941 |
| Managing authorities | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Official site | www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/eungella/index.html |
Eungella (
/ˈjʌŋɡɛlə/ yung-gel-ə; meaning "Land of the clouds") is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 80 km west of Mackay, and 858 km northwest of Brisbane. The original inhabitants are the Goreng goreng (goo-rang goo-rang) people. The park is covered by dense rainforest and is known for its platypuses. The national park was established in 1941 and is situated on the Clarke Range.[1] To the north-east, Mount Dalrymple and Mount William are two separate peaks, which are the same height at 1,259 m. Eungella is the lowest part of the range and looks over the Pioneer Valley to the east.
The name comes from a local Aboriginal dialect which means "land in the cloud".[1]
Contents |
[edit] Flora
The park contains 860 plant species.[2]
[edit] Fauna
More than 100 species of bird have been recorded in Eungella.[1] At night the ringtail possum is often seen and to a lesser extent the short-nosed bandicoot, bush rat, brushtail possum, koala tawny frogmouth and boobook owl may also be observed.[1]
[edit] Climate
The average annual rainfall is in excess of 2,000 mm which mostly falls between the months of December and March.[1] Despite being tropical, snow has fallen at Eungella National Park twice in recorded history - 1964 and in 2000. It is quite common for the temperature around Eungella to drop below zero more than once a year.
[edit] Facilities
Camping is permitted at Fern Flat campground, which is accessible walking only.[3] The Broken River picnic area has facilities for day visitors.
There are more than 20 km of bushwalking tracks, some with scenic lookouts. A platform on the Broken River provides good viewing of platypus, eels and turtles.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Hema Maps (1997). Discover Australia's National Parks. Milsons Point, New South Wales: Random House Australia. p. 170-171. ISBN 1975992472.
- ^ "Eungella National Park: Things to do and see". Queensland Holidays. Tourism Queensland. http://www.queenslandholidays.com.au/things-to-see-and-do/eungella-national-park/index.cfm. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
- ^ a b "About Eungella". Department of Environment and Resource Management. 17 September 2010. http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/eungella/about.html. Retrieved 6 September 2011.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eungella National Park |
